Much of the improvement that Bears quarterback Caleb Williams made from Week 1 to Week 2 was related to his footwork.
In last Sunday's game against the Lions, the second-year pro increased his passer rating (86.6 to 91.9), completion percentage (60.0 to 63.3) and yards per attempt (6.0 to 6.9) from the season opener versus the Vikings.
"Just being able to get comfortable with my footwork, that [was] my focus from Week 1 to Week 2, and I think why some of those passes from Week 1 to Week 2 looked a little different," Williams said. "I mean, [footwork] is up there with the top list of things to be able to be accurate, and that's huge for me.
"From there, I think I have all the talent in the world to be able to deliver a good ball to my guys and let them go and make plays for us as an offense."
That's exactly what transpired in the first half last Sunday on touchdown passes of 28 and 6 yards to receiver Rome Odunze. On the second score, Williams rolled to his left and patiently waited for Odunze to clear a defender, opting to throw the ball instead of trying to run it into the end zone.
"That's always a part of keepers is being able to make the defenders decide," Williams said. "Always make sure you try and get out fast and get ahead so when those moments happen, the defender has to make a decision and at the end of the day you just make them wrong."
Williams' rapport with Odunze has been evident: the second-year receiver has caught all three of the quarterback's TD passes this season and his 13 receptions and 165 yards are five more catches and 51 more yards than any other Bears receiver.
Johnson has seen a similar cohesiveness between Williams and tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland, although that duo has combined for just five catches and 72 yards in the first two games.
"The trust with those pass catchers is really good," Johnson said. "He's got a natural connection here with Rome that you see all the time. I think he feels that with the tight end group, too, even though we need to get that going a little bit more in games. We've seen that in practice quite a bit. The trust level there with those pass catchers is right where it needs to be, and it's going to continue to ascend with the passing game as we go."
Williams told reporters that he threw a few passes to tight ends in Wednesday's practice that showed they were on the same page.
"I feel that way; I believe they feel that way," Williams said. "I know in the first game I missed one to Colston across the middle. But over time—OTAs, training camp and now—our connection has grown. We're on the same page and have the same idea of where they should be and where they will be."
